So, I'm now officially unemployed (by choice, fortunately). Without going into too much detail, I'm planning to go back to school, but I've got some time to kill. Luckily, this means I'll be able to catch up on some Arthur Hungry meals from the past year. Chuck, who just last week posted pictures from a year-old meal at RyuGin, has inspired me to take a look at my backlog, and post stuff even though it's a bit outdated. It can be done. So, without further ado, here's the last meal from Kyoto last year.

Hachikian (Japanese-only website, but Google Translate kinda works), despite its unassuming storefront pictured above, is really quite a unique place. The restaurant runs a small-scale poultry farm outside of Kyoto, which breeds specialty chickens and eggs and showcases them in Hachikian and its 3 smaller outposts. The main restaurant on Marutamachi specializes in a multi-course chicken kaiseki, using many different parts in many different preparations. This meal from September 2010 had some chicken preparations you really won't find anywhere else, as well as a few things some of you might be pretty scared to actually eat!

APPS - chicken gizzard and meat, cucumber, pickled quail egg, snap pea, tomato gelee, tamagoFirst up was this plate of chilled appetizers. Nothing too remarkable, but a good set of clean refreshing flavors to start off the meal.

CHICKEN TATAKIBeef tataki is pretty ubiquitous here in the US (and probably the rest of the world), but nowhere other than Hachikian have I ever found chicken tataki. Obviously, the danger of eating raw/undercooked chicken is pretty appalling to most. At Hachikian, it appears to be completely safe (at least, I've been twice and I'm still standing). And I'm glad it is, as chicken provides a very different textural element than beef or fish. It's a slightly chewier and lighter than you'd think, and very delicious.

CHICKEN SOUPThis milky white chicken soup was as pristine as can be. Simple, clean, and intense chicken flavor. I'd love a pot of this the next time I get sick.

KIMO - poached chicken liverThis looks a bit like the more common ankimo at first glance, but actually tasted quite different. It had a silkier, more tofu-like texture, with a slightly sharper liver taste. I loved it.

CHICKEN SASHIMI - heart, gizzard, white meat, dark meatI realize we've been trained since youth that eating raw chicken would be like a death wish, thanks to our dear friend Salmonella. At Hachikian, the chickens are disease-free and have been served as sashimi for 40 years without incident. I won't waste my breath trying to convince you that raw chicken is "safe" - it's probably a terrible idea to try it in all but a few places. Suffice it to say I felt comfortable enough to try it at Hachikian. I've eaten it twice in my life with no issues, and my dad has eaten here more times than he can remember. Here's a Chowhound discussion about it if you're interested.

Once you get over the mental aspect of it, you'll find that raw chicken tastes pretty good. The different parts varied in texture - the heart had a slight chew, along with an almost-refreshing "crunch" similar to chilled Chinese-style jellyfish. The gizzard was also chewy, with a more even bite throughout. The white and dark meats were both like a lean fish, with the dark meat having a bit more muscular fleshiness. Sustainable toro replacement it ain't, but this stuff was interesting to say the least.

STEAMED CHICKEN THIGH - chilled, with white onionsA very simple dish here, cooked not unlike Chinese steamed chicken. The crunch of the white onion played well with the skin.

KAWA - fried chicken skinKawa - the simplest (and guiltiest) of chicken pleasures. The version here is superb. Crispy, slightly chewy, and all-around awesome.

CHICKEN SANDWICH - minced chicken in sliced bread, breaded and fried, served in chicken brothThis was the highlight of the meal for me. Most preparations at Hachikian are pretty traditional, and just focus on the quality of the chicken. This dish was a total curve ball. The center was minced chicken, like you'd use in a meatball, sandwiched between two pieces of bread. The entire thing was panko-crusted and deep fried, but then served in a clear chicken broth. The result was like a wet cross between a Japanese croquette and a Monte Cristo. This was extremely savory, with an umami level that was off the charts.

BBQ CHICKENSome simple BBQ chicken with green onions. The sauce was a cloying teriyaki-ish glaze that I didn't enjoy too much.

CHICKEN NIGIRI - white and dark meatBoth very tasty. Like the sashimi, the dark meat definitely had a more muscular texture to it. Still, raw chicken is closer to fish than one would imagine. The rice was serviceable, considering Hachikian obviously doesn't specialize in sushi.

CHICKEN BROTHThe lightest and clearest of the various soups we were served. This contained just a few pieces of fish cake. Again, a very pristine and concentrated chicken flavor.

GRILLED CHICKEN WINGOf course, what chicken meal would be complete without chicken wings? This giant wing was simply grilled - a little too much so, in my opinion, as it had too strong of a smoky, charred flavor to the skin. The meat was juicy and tender though.

CHAWANMUSHIA beautiful, silken rendition of the classic egg custard. No bells or whistles. The egg flavor was quite subtle and very delicate.

GRILLED CHICKENAnother highlight. I'm not sure which exact part of the chicken this came from, but this was probably the best piece of meat of the night. Very rich and fatty, and perfect with just a squeeze of lemon.

CHICKEN ROLL, CHICKEN MEATBALL, CHICKEN CRACKLINGThe roll on the left wasn't too memorable, but the meatball was exceptionally moist, and crumbly once broken.  Very tasty. The fried pieces of skin would be best described as a chicken version of chicharrones, but firmer and more crackly. They'd have made for an awesome beer snack.

DUCK NOODLE SOUPHachikian serves one non-chicken item at the end of the kaiseki - their specialty duck noodle soup. Like the chicken, the duck used here comes straight from their own farm. The soup was a simple broth, and flavoring was handled mainly by the duck meat itself. This bowl of noodles was good, but I was pretty overwhelmingly full already at this point. I guess in true Japanese fashion, they have to finish you off with one big starchy item to fill you up in case you are somehow still hungry.

GINGER ICEThis simple shaved ice drizzled with a ginger syrup was fine, but fairly unremarkable. I guess it was good to wash down all the food with.

Hachikian is really a unique experience. It's not the type of thing I'd eat regular, but if you love chicken like I do, it's definitely worth a stop just to try. The quality of the birds here is as high as anywhere, and the generally simple preparations really highlight that.

Hilarious side note: the guy who runs the place is a friendly, jovial character, who actually kind of looks like a chicken himself. (If you click on their website, there are some caricatures of him that are shockingly accurate.)

Well, it's been a busy fall. My company's biggest event (5700+ attendees plus 20,000 virtual attendees) is taking place this week, and my March event just opened on our new software platform today. It's been hectic over here at Arthur Hungry HQ. December will be better, I think, and it should at least be quiet during the holidays. I've got a couple more Japan photos to share, then a bunch from my fall trips to Chicago and New York. I've got a bit to get through.

Our last lunch in Kyoto was at Takaraya Ramen (note: Japanese website) on Ponto-cho near the river. Kyoto is not particularly famous for ramen, but this glowing review from Kyoto Foodie (with great Google map) plus my inability to go to Japan without at least one ramen stop made this trip inevitable. Takaraya is actually nicer inside than a typical ramen shop, with 2 little tables, a pleasant counter, and a boisterous crew in the back. It was pretty crowded when we went during the lunch hour, and we initially had to split up into 2 pairs. Eventually, the couple next to us left, and we got to take over most of the counter.

TORONIKU CHASHUMEN - fatty pork with green onion ramen - ¥880Ordering this was kind of a no-brainer for me. Their standard ramen, using a pork bone stock, topped with extra fatty thinly sliced chashu? I'll take 2 please! Toro here is a bit of a play on words in reference to the tuna version, aka my favorite food, and the concept of pork toro alone makes me salivate. This did not disappoint, as the pork was melt-in-your-mouth buttery, while the soup was hearty and flavorful. The noodles had a nice thickness to them with a little bit of chew.

SUMASHI RAMEN - flat noodles, chicken meatballs, chicken broth, veggies, mozzarella, crispy bacon - ¥850Kyoto Foodie adores this dish, proclaiming it symbolic of Kyoto style. I must say, it was one of the most interesting bowls of ramen I've ever seen. That's not a typo up there.. this ramen had a few cubes of mozzarella cheese! My dad volunteered and ordered it, since it was too interesting not to try. It had a lighter overall feeling than the pork ramen, and actually wasn't nearly as strange as it sounds. Once everything was mixed up, it turned into just a straight up good bowl of noodles.

I think that if I lived in Japan and ate quality ramen with more regularity, the sumashi ramen would be an exciting change of pace... but I preferred the regular style of the toroniku.

KYOTO DEMACHI - raw egg over rice with salted kelp and pickles - ¥380Another intriguing item at Takaraya was this egg/rice dish. The quality of eggs in Japan is very high, and the simplicity of this dish is what made it great. The rice is served very hot, and after being scrambled into the bowl, the egg became ever so slightly cooked (kind of like a carbonara). You can then mix in or eat with the kelp and pickles. This would be a great breakfast.

GYOZA - ¥280Of course, we were in a ramen shop, so we had to get some gyoza. Takaraya's was about par for the course for a Japanese ramen place. Pretty good, thin skin, and a nice char.

Like many of you out there, I'm an absolute ramen lover. I'm always looking for good versions here in SF - sadly, most good ramen requires a drive down to the South Bay. If I were to spend any extended amount of time in Japan, ramen would undoubtedly become a staple of my diet. It's way better than the stuff in college...

Been an extremely hectic week of work - sorry for the lack of posting. I leave tomorrow night for a quick trip to New York City, so good eats are forthcoming. In the meantime, I've got a few more meals from Japan to post.

Our next dinner was at Mishima-Tei, a famous sukiyaki house/meat market established in 1873. It's still in the original building, which is funny considering it's now under the bright lights of Teramachi Street. Inside, it's totally old school. You take off your shoes in a little entry area, then climb up and down a few little stairways to eventually to find one of several scattered private rooms. There, they set you up with everything required to cook at the table.

Sukiyaki is just one of many ways you can cook high-quality Japanese beef. This was my second visit here, so I knew what to expect. Though I still think teppanyaki is the best way to eat Japanese beef, sukiyaki is a nice change of pace, and Mishima-Tei is certainly a good place to check out the cooking style. They also offer shabu-shabu and what they call "oil-yaki," which seems to be a simple sear.

And hey, they even offer an Engrish menu for us gaijin! I love slised meat with soy source. Not surprisingly, we went with the Mishima-Tei "Grand class Meat" at ¥11,000, which basically comes with everything.

INGREDIENTS PRE-COOKINGA very polite Japanese lady came out with a huge tray of ingredients, containing our beef, a basket of veggies, and a bunch of sauce plus sugar.

GRAND CLASS MEATHere's a closer shot of our "Grand class Meat." The language barrier left a more detailed explanation of the beef's origins a mystery, but as you can see... it was very, very marbled.

EARLY COOKING ACTIONOur friendly Japanese waitress/chef started by dumping a ton of sugar into our little iron pot, then lining up a bunch of beef and pouring some soy sauce over the whole thing. They pretty much do all the cooking for you, so you don't have to worry about messing anything up.

JUST ABOUT DONEHere's the first batch of beef, well-dressed in sauce and just about ready to eat. Cooking does not take long at all.

COOKED BEEF WITH EGGThe other cool thing about sukiyaki is that you basically use a raw, beaten egg as your dipping sauce. It makes for a much gooeyer texture than teppanyaki, but an incredibly soft and tender texture. It requires minimal chewing and works amazingly well with rice. The flavor is very rich as you might expect, with a good amount of sweetness from the sugar.

BEEF WITH VEGGIESAfter an initial round of all beef, some veggies went into the pot too. Tofu, onions, mushrooms, scallions, a green called shungiku, and some chewy noodles made from konnyaku were used - all pretty standard sukiyaki sides. They all become delicious after soaking up the marbled juices seeping from the beef.

Here's some video action of the cooking in process. I guess I didn't pick the most exciting part to film, but you get the idea. I was busy eating immediately when it was cooked. Also included is some unedited bonus material that I call "Che family musings on sukiyaki sauce."

PEAR AND HONEY DEWA simple serving of fruit at the end was perfect and very refreshing after the richness of the meat.

Overall, a very good meal, and an important pit stop on the neverending path of Japanese cuisine. I'll admit sukiyaki doesn't excite me as much as sushi or teppanyaki, but it's still a fun and delicious experience. Check it out!